by Sarah Davis-Goff
Published: 2019
Publisher: Tinder Press
Genre: Dystopia, Zombies, Ireland
Hardback: 280
Rating: 5
Goodreads
First sentence(s):
My toenail has blackened, and I have to pull to get it off.
Watch your six. Beware tall buildings. Always have your knives.
Growing up on a tiny island off the coast of a post-apocalyptic Ireland, Orpen's life has revolved around physical training and necessity. After Mam died, it's the only way she and her guardian Maeve have survived the ravenous skrake (zombies) who roam the wilds of the ravaged countryside, looking for prey.
When Maeve is bitten and infected, Orpen knows what she should do - sink a knife into her eye socket, and quickly. Instead, she tries to save Maeve, and following rumours of a distant city on the mainland, guarded by fierce banshees, she sets off, pushing Maeve in a wheelbarrow and accompanied by their little dog, Danger. It is a journey on which Orpen will need to fight repeatedly for her life, drawing on all of her training and instincts. In the course of it, she will learn more about the Emergency that destroyed her homeland, and the mythical Phoenix City - and discover a starting truth about her own identity.
My two-bits:
I liked how this tackles a post-apocalyptic world from the viewpoint to a character born into it. Along with zombies, the characters must grapple with emotional and personal issues.
Got me thinking of loneliness and survival.
* monthly theme: True Crime, Hunger, Horror, Harassment
